27 Jul 2015

I have directly mentioned the above venture as brand because once you take a look through their collections you cannot stop raving about the products. And believe me, at one go you cannot tell that they are all handmade because each and every piece is well crafted to perfection.

So lets get started with SoulfulSaai a venture by Saai Venkat a textile and handicraft enthusiast.

Hand twisted wire tiara

What is Soulfulsaai?!

Having started off with the idea of giving shape to the umpteen ideas that were all this while churning in my head, I am Saai Venkat, the brainchild behind Soulfulsaai.Soulfulsaai is hoping to eventually become a platform for the less privileged women to earn a livelihood for themselves. We're the first Indian brand to be featured on FirstCry Premium Store, along with other foreign brands. One of our product has been featured in FirstCry ads who as Amitabh Bachchan as their brand ambassador here.

Pearl and crochet accessories

Barefoot sandals

Different types of baalis or earrings

How was Soulfulsaai started?
I was brought up in a traditional South-Indian family and had always been good at and loved art. So I decided to secure a degree in Home Science from Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai and specialized in Textiles and Clothing. After which I completed my post-graduation and started teaching at Nirmala Niketan.

It didn’t feel right to teach without practical knowledge and experience. I quit my teaching job and in the mean time got married and moved to Vasai from Malad. I took up a job with a fashion magazine at Goregaon which helped polish my technical knowledge in my field. Later I worked with The Times of India Retail department followed by a stint at Explocity.com. Eventually I got an offer to be part of IDIVA but turned it down due to personal commitments. In a few months’ time, I refocused on my career.
An introspection of what my dreams and aspiration were and joys in creating beautiful products made me think "Could I convert a hobby into a career?" A visit to etsy.com was the beginning to everything that followed. And there has been no looking behind since.

What all fashion accessories or products you make?

Since we started with kids accessories, that’s our forte. Besides that we have an enticing range of handmade jewellery for adults like the Baalis, Jhumkas and necklaces which are a super hit with our customers.

How people approach you and a brief of process related to work?

Ideally we come out with a collection, showcase the images on Facebook page and people interested book the pieces, pay online or deposit the money and we dispatch the products to them.

On seeing the collection, some ask us to customize them in the colours of their choice and we make them accordingly

People come to us to make something unique, give reference images, we try our best to make what they wish. Like recently, a kathak dancer, Shoma Kaikini, designed a sari for herself in the theme of her dance school Nrityanidhi and she wanted me to design the accessories for her. It needed to be in white, large pendant, delicate chains and must have mirror work.

Get more young women to earn their independence through Soulfulsaai. Now I have 3 women working for me. Talks are on to start teaching at an aashram where there are young girls and eventually when they grow up and want to be financially independent, Soulfulsaai could be one of the option for them.

We are associating with top kidswear portals like Hopscotch, Firstcry, mybabycart as well as approaching shops that stock handmade products. Right now we are retailing at Sanctum Mumbai, Whims n Fancies Chennai, Curious Village Ludhiana and talks are on with Vintage Earth, Timri among others. There are customers who like to touch, feel and wear the product before purchasing and we want to cater to them too.

Other specialties of SoulfulSaai

Rakhis
Now that it’s the rakhi season, we have created some special rakhis.Quilling rakhis were a complete soldout on Hopscotch last year. Metal Charm rakhis are a all time favourite since 3 yrs now.
New designs this year are Dolki bead rakhis, crochet bread rakhis, fabric rakhis all made inhouse

Some current goals of SoulfulSaai

There are adults, who want to own a Soulfulsaai product. I make it a point to create unique products for them in this already crowded jewellery market. Like the Drapes collection which I dedicated to the #100sareepact was sold out in 48 hours. And taking my love for saris ahead, we are working on a line of saris with crochet designs on it. There have been many challenges making these saris, but I’m proud seeing the first piece, my mom instantly asked to take one for herself.

Soulfulsaai hopes to be a onestop point for Kids accessories and not ignoring the adults we would work on to make exclusive products